By Evans Dakwa, News Editor
Commuter Omnibuses, popularly known as Kombis in the Zimbabwean transport sector have dominated the country’s public transport system since the turn of the millennium, both in the urban and along major routes of the country’s highways.
The only twist came with the COVID-19 pandemic when most kombis were banned from the road in favour of the more spacious buses as the Government looked to protect people from the menacing virus and also revive the ever failing parastatal ZUPCO.
When Kombis eventually returned on the road as COVID-19 subsided, they quickly reclaimed their urban market not so much on the highways as more indigenous company’s, taking advantage of the duty free import reprieve for buses had invested in bringing more of these which naturally dominate over long distance but they, Kombis still retain a market share over medium distances on the highway.
These kombi operators have for long been accused of unruly behaviour and rightfully so, as they have a tendency to rip off passengers through unjustified fare increases and create their own driving rules as if there is a Highway Code specific to them.
Now the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development as the custodians of road rules and passenger safety on our roads have from time to time come up with new rules and regulations deemed fit to improve efficiency and road safety. The latest one being the review and implementation of radius based restrictions for Kombis from 120kms to 60kms.
From the outset, this move is logical. Kombis are notorious for driving at speeds that will make even decorated Formula one drivers envy considering they will be carrying passengers and considering their vehicles are not fitted with the safety features available in Formula one. Reducing their radius to a maximum of 60km by all counts
Over the past five years, the fleet of buses through both public and private players has increased which ordinarily should be able to cover the gap created by the new directive, or is it?
There are a lot of routes that will be affected by this order and one hopes it will not create a ‘from pan to the fire’ situation. When Kombis were banned before, it created a bigger problem, the mushika shika vehicles fronted by the ever popular Honda Fit and Toyota wish vehicles among others proliferated at an exponential rate. These are even worse than Kombis because they are easily manipulated for use by criminals, are known for overloading and speed levels makes a mockery of Kombi drivers.
We have been here before and Honourable Felix Mhona, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development knows it. Routes like Bindura to Shamva can have never been fully serviced by buses and the banning of Kombis will no doubt open flood gates for Mushika-shika vehicles.
Our public transport system is run haphazardly and has no time table that commuters can use to plan their movements. The Kombis offer more convenience compared to buses over short to medium distances and banning without a tangible alternative will likely create more challenges. Mushika shika will offer the convenience that commuters look for despite the risks involved and eventually the Minister will need to come up with more measures to deal with a bigger problem.